Suffolk in the City basket makers

Two basket makers will be joining Suffolk in the City at London Craft Week this year, each bringing an innovative and thoughtful approach to their chosen materials. 

 

Cindy Gidney creates woven vessels using soft natural fibres and coiling techniques that echo ancient basketry traditions while expressing a distinctly contemporary aesthetic. Through the careful and intuitive manipulation of materials, her forms emerge organically, held in place by slow, meditative stitching. With a background in fashion, textiles and interiors, and influenced by generations of seamstresses in her family, her practice is rooted in a deep connection to making by hand. Inspired by the natural world, her work reflects early experiences of collecting and arranging found objects, with forms often drawing parallels to organic structures such as the spirals of shells. 

 

Lin Carter approaches basketry with a strong sense of continuity, working within a tradition that both honours the past and contributes to the future. Trained in both traditional and contemporary techniques, she uses materials such as home-grown willow and rush gathered from Suffolk rivers to create hats, vessels and sculptural forms. Her work is driven by a love of making and a desire to tell stories through materials, process and place, resulting in pieces that are rich in character and meaning. 

 

The exhibition offers visitors a valuable opportunity to experience work that reflects both Suffolk’s rich craft heritage and the contemporary innovation of its makers.